Everyone asked about the baby. Not about you.
A 52-week written course following your baby's neurological development and your own psychological journey, week by week, for the entire first year.
The parenting industry is enormous. Books, apps, classes, weekly emails. All focused on the baby. None focused on you: the identity shift, the grief that arrived with the love, the person you were going somewhere you could not find. This course follows both.
The work beneath
Everyone asked about the baby. Not about you.
This course is designed to help you slow the pattern down, understand what is happening underneath it, and begin practising a steadier, kinder way forward. It does not ask you to become someone else. It helps you return to yourself with more clarity, language, and choice.
The parenting industry is enormous. Books, apps, classes, weekly emails. All focused on the baby. None focused on you: the identity shift, the grief that arrived with the love, the person you were going somewhere you could not find. This course follows both.
4 Modules. Self-paced lessons
Each module is a place to understand one layer more clearly. Move slowly. Let the language meet the part of your life that has needed more care, more honesty, and a more hopeful way forward.
Everyone asked about the baby. Not about you.
A 52-week written course following your baby's neurological development and your own psychological journey, week by week, for the entire first year.
Start the Course, Included with MembershipFrequently asked
What is matrescence? +
Matrescence is the psychological and neurological change of becoming a mother, coined by anthropologist Dana Raphael in 1973. Like adolescence, it involves a profound restructuring of identity and sense of self. The grief of the former self, the love that arrives with the terror, the identity dissolution of the first weeks. This course addresses all of it, week by week.
What are the Wonder Weeks? +
The Wonder Weeks is a published developmental framework associated with Frans Plooij and Hetty van de Rijt. Its proposed leap schedule is not a reliable prediction of an individual baby’s brain development or behaviour. Development varies; consult a qualified child-health professional about concerns.
How long is each week’s reading? +
Each week has four sections (their week, your week, between you, and a practice) designed to be read in 10 to 15 minutes total. Written for new parents who do not have more time than that. The content is substantial but the reading is achievable in the actual life of a new parent.
Is this course only for mothers? +
The course is written for parents and primary caregivers reflecting on the first year. Baby-development topics are general education and do not replace individual child-health advice. Caregiving and identity experiences vary across families.
What format is the course? +
Fully written, self-paced, membership access. No videos. 52 weeks of content, each with four sections. Designed to be read week by week in real time alongside your baby’s actual first year, or at any pace that works for you.
A course by Olivia Fox, founder of My Inner Foundation. She writes about what she has lived, worked through herself, and sat with in others, translating real inner work and years of supporting people through these exact struggles into language that is precise, honest, and genuinely useful.
Written with care
A gentle note before you begin
My Inner Foundation courses are educational and reflective. They are not therapy, diagnosis, medical advice, or crisis support. If you are in immediate danger or need urgent mental-health support, please contact local emergency services or a qualified professional.